Andy Whitman serves as the Director of the Sustainable Economies Program at Manomet. Andy works mainly with the business sector to measure and manage for sustainability, including of course, greenhouse gas reductions. He has recently developed and implemented a sustainable agriculture standard for U.S. and international institutional investors, such as TIAA-CREF, UBS, and others. His program at Manomet developed the nation’s largest grocery sustainability framework called the Grocery Stewardship Certification, with more than 900 stores across the U.S. certified. Andy has over two decades of experience working with timberland owners on biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation.

Barry Woods serves as Director of Electric Vehicle Innovation for ReVision Energy, providing sales, marketing and business development expertise to assist companies and consumers in making the right decisions when it comes to charging infrastructure and related energy technology. ReVision is a B-certified Corporation and 100% employee owned entity that offers siloed design, engineering and installation expertise for a variety of clean energy technologies. To date it has installed hundreds of level two EV chargers and several large DCFC placements throughout New England, resulting from diverse partnerships with ChargePoint, Greenlots, EVgo, Flo and Tesla. Barry is a director on the board with Plug In America, the only independent US-based non-profit who is the voice of EV drivers.

Bill Mook is owner and founder of Mook Sea Farm and Hatchery in Walpole, Maine. His hatchery annually produces 100 million juvenile oyster seeds to sell to growers down the East Coast. He also raises adult Wiley Point and Pemaquid Point oysters to sell to restaurants across the state and beyond.  Bill continually seeks, develops, and tests new technologies aimed at improving the process and resiliency of growing shellfish at each stage of their life particularly in the face of climate change. He invests in energy efficiency and solar for his business, and in an expanded shellfish facility that is more resilient to the effects of climate change. Bill was recently awarded NRCM’s 2018 Conservation Leadership award in recognition of his advocacy work for clean water and a healthy climate.

Cathy Lee is the Founder and Managing Director of Lee International, an international consulting firm that provides climate advisory services to public and private sector clients, project developers, and sellers and buyers of carbon credits in the compliance and voluntary markets around the world. Cathy is an attorney with 39 years of legal experience and 34 of them in the energy and environment sectors. She has acted as legal advisor to greenhouse gas reduction projects in South Africa and has worked on the development of various carbon programs in the US. She served as carbon advisor for several states, including Maine, in various stages of developing programs to measure and monetize carbon credits from retrofitting low income housing in the US. Cathy also serves on the boards of various international and US organizations, including the University of Maine School of Law Foundation, Lee Automalls, George Mitchell Scholarship Institute, Justice for Women Lecture Series, Maine Business Immigration Coalition, Maine Democracy Collaborative, Partners of the Americas Sister City Program, United Nations Women’s Gender Constituency, W+ Carbon Standard Advisory Council, and WomenStrong International.

Dr. Charles S. Colgan is Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Planning at the University of Southern Maine and Director of Research, Center for the Blue Economy (CBE), Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California.  At CBE, Dr. Colgan oversees the conduct of research activities and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics (JOCE).  He also serves as adjunct faculty in the International Environmental Policy Studies program. Prior to these roles, Dr. Colgan served as the Russell Chair in Education and Philosophy at U.S.M., a Professor of Public Policy and Management in the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, and as Chair of the Muskie School’s PhD Program in Public Policy. His long-term economic forecasts are used by the Maine Department of Transportation and the Economic Development Districts of Maine. Prior to joining the University of Southern Maine, he served in the Maine State Planning Office, was State Economist, and Director of Natural Resource and Economic Policy.

Dan Belyea is the Chief Workforce Development Officer at the Maine Community College System (MCCS), where he has worked for over 31 years. He serves as a member of the senior management team and is responsible for providing state-wide leadership and coordination in support of MCCS’s statutory mission to meet Maine’s workforce needs with the goals of creating an educated, skilled and adaptable workforce that is responsive to changing economic needs and to promote local, regional and statewide economic development. In addition to managing the Maine Quality Centers grant program he works with colleges, businesses, associations and related public, private, and non-profit service providers to create partnerships that are responsive to that mission. Dan also serves on the State Workforce Board, as a non-voting advisory member representing the MCCS and as a public member on the Grievance Commission with the State of Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.

Ethan Austin serves as the Director of Marketing & Communications at Sugarloaf USA, Maine’s largest ski resort located in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. In this position, Ethan has played an integral part in developing Sugarloaf’s 2030 Plan, which includes efforts to prioritize sustainability as part of the resort’s future development. Ethan has also helped grow Sugarloaf’s social media presence to be the largest of any eastern ski area.

Gene Geiger is the Chairman of the Board and former President/CEO of Geiger, the largest privately owned and managed promotional products distributor in the world. Geiger operates from offices across the U.S. and London, is affiliated with over 450 independent sales representatives and is the sole publisher of the Farmers’ Almanac. Over his career Gene has strategized, facilitated and led at his Lewiston-based company, while conducting business in an ethical, customer-focused manner. Under his leadership, Gene and his firm have also become leaders in the industry for their sustainability efforts. The company powers its campus completely using solar energy and operates the largest solar array of any privately held firm in Maine.

Gilda Nardone is the Executive Director at New Venture Maine, a career counseling and employment development program for women. Nardone has been one of the directors of the organization, headquartered at the University of Maine at Augusta, since its inception in 1978. In 2008 Nardone was named the Women in Business Champion by the Maine and New England chapters of the Small Business Administration. She is also the recipient of the 1989 Progress Award from the Maine Commission for Women, and the 1991 Maryann Hartman Award from the University of Maine Women’s Studies Program. She was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 1991.

Prior to his retirement earlier this year, Greg Adams served as the Manager of Research and Development at J.D. Irving, the largest forestry company in the Maritimes and northern Maine. Greg has led J.D. Irving’s tree improvement program for more than 25 years. He has worked as the company’s silviculture manager and supervised JDI’s nursery operations. He has consistently supported the use of science to advance sustainable forest management. Greg has been involved with the company’s Forestry Research Advisory Committee (FRAC), coordinating activities for the group for over 15 years. He has developed lasting research networks, collaborations, and partnerships with leading forestry researchers and managers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Maine. Greg was recently awarded the 2017 Forester Achievement Award in recognition of the meaningful impact he has had throughout his career as a researcher, mentor, advocate, and leader.

Hannah Pingree was appointed to lead Governor Mill’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future in January 2019. Hannah previously served as Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010. She also served as the Maine House Majority Leader, Chair of the Committee on Health and Human Services, and as a member of the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs during her terms in Maine Legislature from 2002 – 2010. Hannah spearheaded successful legislation on energy, broadband, housing, environmental health, and health care during her time in office. Hannah has worked for a technology start-up in New York City; managed several family small businesses; led the development of rural housing, energy efficiency, and eldercare projects for a coalition of community non-profits; chaired her local school board; and served on numerous state and community non-profit boards.

Jeff Turner serves a Senior Researcher and Clean Mobility Lead at Dunsky Energy, a leading Canadian firm specialized in the design, evaluation and analytical support of leading sustainable energy initiatives across North America. Jeff’s passion for clean mobility and advanced energy technologies has led to a career at the nexus of sustainable transportation, energy storage, demand response and renewable energy. His experience – more than a decade working with vehicle manufacturers, research institutes, utilities and governments – affords him a unique, grounded perspective on what is needed to move the needle on market adoption of clean energy technologies. Jeff’s work has covered personal and commercial vehicle engineering, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, energy storage technology, vehicle-grid integration, and demand response, among others. Jeff is a recognized leader in transportation electrification, and currently serves on the board of Electric Mobility Canada.

Steve Clemmer is Director of Energy Research and Analysis for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Climate and Energy program, Steve Clemmer conducts research on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing renewable energy technologies and policies at the state and national levels. He also directs UCS research on coal, natural gas, and nuclear power, and on solutions to reduce carbon emissions and water use in the electricity sector. He currently serves on the technical review committee of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Electrification Futures Study. Before joining UCS in 1997, Mr. Clemmer was the energy policy coordinator for the Wisconsin Energy Office.

Michael Stoddard is an attorney and has been Executive Director of Efficiency Maine Trust since its establishment in 2010.  From 2002-2010, Michael was Senior Counsel at Environment Northeast (now the Acadia Center), where he was responsible for advocacy across New England on electricity restructuring, building energy codes, appliance standards, energy efficiency budgets, sustainable transportation systems, climate change action plans, and adoption of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  He co-authored ENE’s 2006 Climate Change Roadmap for New England and Eastern Canada.  He has also served as contractor for Clean Air Task Force, Clean Energy Group, and Conservation Law Foundation.

Jenni Tilton-Flood is a forward-thinking family dairy farmer at Flood Brothers Farm in Clinton, Maine. Flood Brothers Farm has been in agricultural production for over 200 years and is currently operated by 3 generations of family members. As Maine’s largest family dairy farm, Jenni helps carry on Flood Brothers 200+ year old tradition of agriculture in Maine’s Dairy Capital, producing 5% of Maine’s milk as proud Cabot owners/farmers. Since joining Flood Brothers in 1993, Jenni has worked hard to Agri-energize the farm by converting manure into renewable natural gas. As a result, Flood Brothers is projected to help provide 45% of the natural gas to Summit Natural Gas Maine customers. In addition to her work on the farm, Jenni also serves on a number of Boards, Councils, Bureaus and Foundations as an advocate for Maine, agriculture, and rural communities.

Phil Coupe is a managing partner of ReVision Energy, responsible for leadership in sales, marketing and strategic direction.

Prior to co-founding ReVision, he served as Vice President & Director of Corporate Philanthropy at a startup company in Washington, D.C. that received numerous awards for its socially responsible business initiatives to serve disadvantaged children and support organizations working on the front lines of society’s problems.

The D.C.-based startup twice made the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in the U.S. and continues to thrive today (along with two spin-offs that are also doing well). An active member of the local community, he serves as Chair of Maine Audubon’s Corporate Partner Program, on the board and of the Environment and Energy Technology Council of Maine, (E2Tech) , and is a long time mentor in the Big Brothers/Big  Sisters program.

Jennifer Brennan has thirty years of experience working on land use planning, clean transportation, and energy issues. Jennifer is currently Transportation Manager at the California Department of General Services, Executive Office of Sustainability where she oversees a team installing EV charging infrastructure at California State facilities. Previously, she was the Program Manager of EV Initiatives at Efficiency Maine where she managed the State of Maine’s EV rebate program and EV charging infrastructure projects. She is a former Energy Programs Manager with the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) and Maine Clean Communities where she managed their EV programs, an effort to expand EV charging infrastructure, and co-chaired Mobilize Maine’s Energy Action Team working to develop renewable energy projects with farmers as well as created the Portland 2030 District to assist the private sector to reduce their energy usage and costs. She is a former Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security (OEIS) under Governor Baldacci and worked for many years in the California State Legislature as a senior staffer for a State Senator and Assembly Member. Jennifer also worked in Washington, D.C. at the Center for Clean Air Policy and at the Local Government Commission in Sacramento, CA. She was also an Adjunct Professor of political science at Southern Maine Community College for several years. Jennifer has a B.A. in Communications and a master’s degree in Political Science from the California State University, Chico.

John Fitzpatrick is Senior Director of Facilities at The Jackson Laboratory, a non-profit known around the world for its mammalian genetics research. Headquartered in Bar Harbor, John juggles the ever-changing challenges of keeping his organization’s research facilities in Maine, Connecticut, and California up and running 24/7/365. One operational area that consumes much of John’s time and talents is energy conservation. While these efforts have been successful, energy costs are variable from year to year and the bottom line tends to keep going up due to expansion of facilities in Bar Harbor, Sacramento and Farmington. Under the guidance of Fitz’s team, Jackson Labs no offsets most of its fuel oil consumption with a high-tech biomass boiler that generates steam by burning wood pellets, a byproduct of Maine’s most plentiful renewable resource, trees.

John Hagan, Ph.D. is an ecologist, and former President of Manomet, a nonpartisan, science-driven sustainability nonprofit based in Brunswick, Maine. He has partnered with a diversity of for-profit sectors on sustainability, including large timberland owners, farmers, institutional investors, retailers, and many nonprofits.  He received the Austin Wilkins Award from Governor John Baldacci for his work on the stewardship and conservation of Maine’s forests, and the Integrity in Conservation award from the New England Society of American Foresters. John has served on the board of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the largest forest certification standard in North America.

Lydia Covert is the Corporate Sustainability Manager at Unum Group, where she drives strategies for long-term environmental, social, and governance issues. Her passion lies in helping companies understand that sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand. In her time with Unum, she has lead cross-disciplinary teams in completing the first materiality assessment for the company, increasing sustainability disclosures through the 2019 ESG report, and developing strategic sustainability frameworks.  Prior to Unum, Lydia worked on sustainability topics within the food retail sector, including seafood supply chains, internal reporting processes, target-setting and database management, internal and external stakeholder engagement, and issuance of a €600 million sustainability bond.

Marty Grohman serves as the Executive Director for the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine (“E2Tech”), an organization known for its nonpartisan forums on current environmental and energy issues, bringing together a variety of voices on issues critical to the future of Maine. Marty holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer. He is a former State Representative, where he was a member of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. Grohman co-founded DuraLife Decking, a composite decking manufacturing company that continues to operate and grow in Biddeford. After the company’s acquisition, Grohman served as Director of Sustainability for GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, developing initiatives such as roofing recycling and the company’s Zero-Waste-to-Landfill effort, as well as building networks with national organizations such as the US Green Building Council.

Matt Kearns serves as the Chief Development Officer at Longroad Energy, a renewable energy developer focused on the development and operation of wind and solar energy projects throughout North America. Matt has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry with a focus on developing renewable energy projects. In his current role at Longroad Energy, which is headquartered in Boston, Matt is responsible for the company’s project development activities across the U.S., but is happily based in Portland, Maine. Prior to joining Longroad, he was the Vice President for Development at First Wind Energy. There he led development, and supported the financing and construction of approximately 700MW of wind power in the northeastern U.S., which is among the most challenging permitting and development environments in the country.

Megan Hellstedt serves as the Vice President of Sustainable Retailing at Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Hannaford Brothers. Over the course of nearly 15 years in this role, Megan has helped the global retailer establish itself as a leader in the industry through initiatives that prioritize people, planet, and business. As part of their Healthy and Sustainable Strategy, the world-leading food retailer brand has taken ambitious steps to inspire customers to make healthier choices, increase product transparency, and eliminate waste. Under Ahold Delhaize’s leadership, Hannaford has become a leader in the US for managing sustainability across a large number of stores.

Robert Montgomery-Rice serves as the President and CEO of Bangor Savings Bank, with more than $5.4 billion in assets, offers retail banking to consumers as well as comprehensive commercial, corporate, payroll administration, merchant services, and small business banking services to businesses. The Bank, founded in 1852, is in its 168th year with 57 branches in Maine and New Hampshire and on the Web at www.bangor.com. The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation was created in 1997. Together the Bank and its Foundation invested more than $2.5 million into the community in the form of sponsorships, grants, and partnership initiatives last year. Bangor Savings Bank is an equal opportunity employer.

Sara Lewis serves as the Director of Client Service at Spinnaker Trust, a Maine-based private equity firm founded in 2000. Sara followed her dad’s footsteps into the financial industry—starting her career at Merrill Lynch in New York City. She has worn many hats at Spinnaker Trust, from trading to marketing to client service to learning and deploying new technology. Ultimately, she loves helping clients find peace of mind around the financial part of their lives. Sara volunteers her professional expertise and time to a variety of organizations that support Maine families, women’s health and wellness, the conservation of local communities.

Shanna Cox was named President and CEO of Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in 2019. In this role, Shanna oversees strategic growth and direction of the Chamber, maintaining strong relationships with members, and creating new relationships with organizations and businesses who can benefit from the support, programming and services the Chamber offers. Shanna has been pursuing economic and community development goals for the LA region for nearly 10 years. As a small business owner, Shanna worked with businesses and groups across the state to find solutions for complex community and social problems. Her statewide work grew her experience and exposure to addressing the important issues the Chamber, our members, and businesses in our communities’ face: workforce development, technology and innovation, cluster and sector development, educational outcomes and economic development and growth.

Shawn Moody is the founder of Moody’s Collision Centers, the largest independent collision repairer in the Northeast, with 14 locations around the state. Moody has shared the company’s success with his co-workers, establishing a profit-sharing program that gives 10 percent of the company’s after-tax profit to its workers as well as employee stock ownership plan with co-workers now owning 54 percent of the business. His dedication to green technology has also helped maximize his company’s energy efficiency and minimize their impact on the planet. Shawn Moody participated in the 2008 Governor’s Energy Summit as a small business speaker. In addition to his growing his business from the ground up, Shawn has also remained dedicated to his local community, running for governor as an independent in 2010, and again as the Republican nominee in 2018.

In 2014 Shawn became the first person in the State’s history to serve on the Board of Trustees for not only the University System but also the Community College system as well. Through increased collaboration the two systems have signed a milestone agreement finally allowing the universal transfer of credits between the two systems. UMS was one of only two public universities that kept tuition flat 6 out of 7 years. They guided USM out of a 14 million budget shortfall and double digit enrollment drop to restoring 8 million in the budget stabilization fund and gradually increased enrollment.

Steve Ward has been a steering committee member of Maine Climate Table from the outset and chaired the Table’s Energy Efficiency Team for several years. Previously serving as Maine’s Public Advocate for utility customers, Ward retired from Maine government in 2007 after holding that position under four successive Governors from 1986 through 2007. As Public Advocate, Ward was actively involved in establishing ratepayer support for energy efficiency and renewable energy as the preferred alternative to monopoly utility power generation. Prior to retirement from state government in 2007, Steve served in a 6-month project position at Maine’s Department of Environmental Regulation as negotiator of RGGI legislation in Maine. Ward also assisted in the creation of Efficiency Maine and served as the national President of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates from 2000 to 2002. In that role he regularly appeared on behalf of NASUCA before Congress, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the FCC. Steve has dedicated his career to representing consumer interests for improved and affordable telecommunications, energy efficiency, electricity and natural gas service and in assuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste.